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Going completely opposite of what everyone here has said..

Why keep the MacBook? Others here are recommending take the money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152099 Get that, sell the MacBook, keep the money.

You'll come out on top money wise and with a better system than anything Apple offers that will last longer too.

If warranty is a concern, get this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220483 2 year standard warranty, 1 year accidental damage, 30 day zero bright dot. Still a better system than anything Apple offers. Apple doesn't even offer accidental damage as part of AppleCare. If you're worried about a system lasting 4 years, then you're better off without a Mac anyway. Go to Dell or HP. They both offer FOUR year extended warranties that cover accidental damage (including liquid) and peripherals. The 4 year accidental damage + peripheral coverage isn't part of the PC building process. You have to buy it separately.

Take it from a UniBody MacBook owner (third system, second replacement due to bad build quality and Apple's poor repair service), it's not worth it to keep your Mac. If money is an issue, get either one of those and sell your Mac. You'll pocket plenty of cash and have an all around awesome system.
 
I had a roomate who was a computer nerd by all accounts- he had one or two desktops, a few laptops, and a TV for a monitor... that being said, the laptop that he used the most was BY FAR his mac. I hardly remember him picking up his pc and believe he offered it to one of the other people in our house when their laptop (PC) crapped out (despite the thousands spent on it...)

He had both simply because he is a computer geek and did a lot of "computer things" (read: I really did not understand anything he was talking about when he talked about his computers so I really dont know what he was doing) but some of the technical stuff required PCs.

But for school, fun, and general computer use- he used the mac.

That being said- keep the mac, and keep the money, or have your dad buy you some other school supplies (do you have ANY idea how much college books cost??? Maybe he can buy you your books instead of another pc that you'll probably never use...)
 
I had a roomate who was a computer nerd by all accounts- he had one or two desktops, a few laptops, and a TV for a monitor... that being said, the laptop that he used the most was BY FAR his mac. I hardly remember him picking up his pc and believe he offered it to one of the other people in our house when their laptop (PC) crapped out (despite the thousands spent on it...)

He had both simply because he is a computer geek and did a lot of "computer things" (read: I really did not understand anything he was talking about when he talked about his computers so I really dont know what he was doing) but some of the technical stuff required PCs.

But for school, fun, and general computer use- he used the mac.

That being said- keep the mac, and keep the money, or have your dad buy you some other school supplies (do you have ANY idea how much college books cost??? Maybe he can buy you your books instead of another pc that you'll probably never use...)

The OP has an opportunity to get a good computer. OP stated that the original purchase was how long ago? That means they are in possession of an Intel chipset based MacBook, which means it is significantly less capable than current MacBooks.

So now the OP is present with an opportunity to get a good computer. Why not take it? The OP can get something that blows away all of Apple's offerings and sell the MacBook. I don't see any reason why the OP shouldn't do that.
 
The OP has an opportunity to get a good computer. OP stated that the original purchase was how long ago? That means they are in possession of an Intel chipset based MacBook, which means it is significantly less capable than current MacBooks.

Huh? :confused: The OP's MacBook was purchased last spring. Those MacBooks perform quite similarly to the newer unibody ones, except where graphics is concerned. Unless he's a gamer, in which case he likely would not have bought a MacBook to begin with, it's not "significantly" less capable. The new machine is better, for there's absolutely nothing wrong with the old one, either.

Buying another computer would be a waste of money.

Now, if your dad agrees, you could sell the MacBook and upgrade to either a new MacBook, or a new MacBook Pro. Both will boot into Windows, so you win on all fronts. That's my advice. :)
 
im going to college in the fall and my dad wants to get me a new computer. i got a macbook last spring and he wants to get me a pc so since its free to me and i just got a macbook i decided why not. so with that in mind what is the best pc laptop to get? thanks

Lenovo Thinkpad X301
 
Huh? :confused: The OP's MacBook was purchased last spring. Those MacBooks perform quite similarly to the newer unibody ones, except where graphics is concerned. Unless he's a gamer, in which case he likely would not have bought a MacBook to begin with, it's not "significantly" less capable. The new machine is better, for there's absolutely nothing wrong with the old one, either.

Buying another computer would be a waste of money.

Now, if your dad agrees, you could sell the MacBook and upgrade to either a new MacBook, or a new MacBook Pro. Both will boot into Windows, so you win on all fronts. That's my advice. :)

Theres two things wrong with the older MacBook.

One being the Intel chipset. My experience has been that OS X is ridiculously unstable on those Intel chipsets. The new nvidia chipset has proven to be much more stable, and when it comes to video and game related things, MUCH faster.

The other thing wrong with it is the plastic case. I know from experience that those plastic cases can, do, and WILL crack with regular use. Its why I have a UniBody MacBook now. My old plastic Macs cracked multiple times in multiple areas. Apple failed to repair it properly and swapped out my system on multiple occasions. If the OP has a plastic Mac, it'd be in their best interest to sell the system as soon as possible before the cracking and all around system failure starts.
 
the thinkpad x and t series have always been my personal faves.

they have the best combination of size, power, battery life, features, options, warranty...and the best keyboards bar none

they are pricey, though
 
ThinkPads are probably the best laptops (including Apple laptops) out there. They've got an excellent track record when it comes to durability and reliability and they tend to be very well engineered, efficient machines.

I bought a ThinkPad X61s recently. It was either that or a MacBook Air, and to me the choice was simple: ...

Apple makes some nice machines, but when it comes to a subnotebook price/feature comparison they don't really have a prayer against the ThinkPad X series.

I totally agree, Thinkpads X's are excellent machines. I say you can never have too many computers. The key is diversity. Make sure you don't have ones that are similar otherwise one will be gathering dust. The Thinkpad is a excellent small machine that you can tuck away in any bag or suitcase. It is almost between a netbook and a laptop. Definitely a good choice for traveling or as a bedside machine.
 
I totally agree, Thinkpads X's are excellent machines. I say you can never have too many computers. The key is diversity. Make sure you don't have ones that are similar otherwise one will be gathering dust. The Thinkpad is a excellent small machine that you can tuck away in any bag or suitcase. It is almost between a netbook and a laptop. Definitely a good choice for traveling or as a bedside machine.

+1. Thinkpads are fantastic machines and built to last. Until recently I was using an R31 (bulkier than the X machines) as a machine for hanging around the house - it was easily 7 or 8 years old but still going strong, decent resale value on eBay too.

I'd be wary of Dell XPS machines - Dell ended up replacing my M1330 after it needed constant repairs, shipped with dodgy nVidia graphics chip that fried the motherboard.
 
Get a netbook. There are several good options out there - browse around and see which one best suits your needs as a student.

A second laptop is silly, but a netbook gives you a smaller alternative (though still very much a novelty).

or you can wait until apple comes out with their netbook :p come on its gonna happen.
 
Theres two things wrong with the older MacBook.

One being the Intel chipset. My experience has been that OS X is ridiculously unstable on those Intel chipsets. The new nvidia chipset has proven to be much more stable, and when it comes to video and game related things, MUCH faster.

The other thing wrong with it is the plastic case. I know from experience that those plastic cases can, do, and WILL crack with regular use. Its why I have a UniBody MacBook now. My old plastic Macs cracked multiple times in multiple areas. Apple failed to repair it properly and swapped out my system on multiple occasions. If the OP has a plastic Mac, it'd be in their best interest to sell the system as soon as possible before the cracking and all around system failure starts.

You obviously either abused your previous macbook or got a bad one. There's nothing wrong with the Plastic, macbook, works perfectly, even if it does crack Apple will fix it . You sound like a PC FANBOI whose lurking in the mac forums.

BOL with your new aluminum one
 
As much as Sony gets poor reviews for their support, I really enjoy my 16" 1080p Blu-ray playing 4GB, 320GB 7200rpm Vaio FW series laptop. At $999 it was a steal. They cost around $1199 with this config now but still avery good deal.

Cheers,
 
I agree with others in saying that if you're happy with your current Macbook, just tell your dad to save the $$ or use it to buy accessories/upgrade your current macbook/ bigger monitor etc. or save it for college expenses.

If you have to buy a PC laptop though for whatever reason, IMHO the Thinkpad X-series or T-Series are awesome. I have a X200 and its absolutely a great laptop. Awesome keyboard, same CPU/RAM setup as base MBP / high-end MB yet staying under 3lbs. The new Dell Latitude E4300 is also very nice for price/size/performance ratio. 13.3" with 2.26/2.4GHz CPU (2.4 being same as base MBP/high-end MB) while staying around 3.3lbs and has nice features like backlit keyboard + webcam. I wish the Unibody Macbook could be around 3.3lbs too :(. Would be a perfect laptop for me then.
 
Question, what do you need two laptops for? I mean, I'm happy with my Mac.
But if you are bent on getting a PC laptop, what are you going to use it for? What are your main purposes of using laptops or computers in general? What are you looking for that your MacBook can't do that you will use it for?
 
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